Kris’ Picks: Week 69 – Songs You’ve (Probably) Never Heard Of

Kris’ Picks is here! And it’s the week of Thanksgiving! Allow me to curate your week, and give a few tracks you can vibe to while you wait for that turkey to pop out of the oven. This week we have a lot of music to go through featuring some new releases from The Weeknd, Bruno Mars and a new track from John Mayer.

I may not be featuring the popular tracks, but you most definitely should be checking out “Love on the Weekend” (John Mayer), “I Feel It Coming (ft. Daft Punk)” (The Weeknd) and “Just What I Like” (Bruno Mars) on your own. They were solid releases for the week.

Anyway, first on the featured four introductory tracks comes from Travis Mendes, the Brooklyn-based rapper who shines on his track “10 Years.” The song caught my attention almost immediately with the production samples, and even though the rapping is a bit overshadowed by the sampled track, the song shines nonetheless.

“10 Years” uses a soothing soul beat to hold the song down, everything on top is a beat and rhythm that make you just want to vibe along. Mendes’ vocals seem to be spewing out of a distorted P.A. system, but that doesn’t deter the listener one bit.

What draws me into this track is the rhythm. It’s simple and repetitive, and as the record scratches toward the end of the track, the listener is thrown into a swirl of nostalgia. The last 30 seconds of the song are a complete transformation and a perfect transition into the next song on Mendes’ EP.

Blast it and let the beat flow through you.

Next up on this list is a weirder one.

Upon first listen, Jo Goes Hunting’s “Winner” uses the sound of a ticking clock to set the scene, everything after that is spoken-word lyrics from the lead vocalist. With time, as the weird noises and additions are thrown into the track, the song tends to grow on the listener.

“Winner” is a song that’s all over the place, but that’s not always a bad thing. Clusters of sound tend to be the best when you’re trying to get through your day. Synth-driven harmonies and hard-hitting drum beats are the driving force, so take it all in. Who knows? Maybe it’ll grow on you like it did on me.

Tor Miller makes yet another appearance on Kris’ Picks with his powerful, vocally-driven song “Baby Blue.”

“Baby Blue” comes off of Miller’s American English, an album that showcases the singer’s ability to belt out powerful harmonies in an instant. In fact, Miller doesn’t wait to give the listener something to grasp a hold of on “Baby Blue.” Almost instantly, Miller belts out beautiful harmonies, and the chorus acts as a shell for Miller’s singing ability.

The song itself is a sad one, and Miller’s vocals just add to that somber tone. It’s a very pensive song that tells you a genuine story, and will have you singing along in no time. Try not to cry, okay?

Last, but certainly not least, is James Supercaves’ relaxed song “Overloaded.” The title may claim otherwise, but the band makes sure to give you a track you can relax to.

The song relies a bit more on an electronic/synth background, but it all comes together beautifully to give the listener something to embrace after a long day. There isn’t much else I can say about this song, other than give it a listen!

That concludes this semi-mediocre Kris Picks (which I apologize for). Make sure to check out every song on this playlist, there are some great ones. You can also check out every Kris’ Picks we’ve done so far, below!